Making a Sculpture: Part 2

After I’m happy with my design, I need to start preparing to bring it into the “real” world. Each component must be isolated and unfolded inside the computer. This process is much easier with a design based on platonic solids (like Pharaoh’s Dream) than one with more free-form elements.Once all the components are unfolded, I place them all on a single plane that represents the raw sheet steel stock they will be cut from. It is also necessary to add tabs where the individual folds will happen, as well as allowing for the inherent stretching that occurs when bending steel. With that done, I end up with a pattern that is ready to be sent to the laser cutter.